MDARD Warns of Spotted Lanternfly Spread in Michigan

Michigan, meet your next unwanted summer guest... again. According to the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD), tracking in 2025 confirmed the presence of spotted lanternfly populations in Jackson, Lenawee, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, and Wayne counties.

RELATED: Stink Bug Season in Michigan: Why They’re Waiting to Invade

But that was 2025; what does that mean for this summer?

Where Michigan Stands Heading Into Summer 2026

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Last year's data tells a pretty clear story: these things don't travel... they hitchhike like that one friend who "just needs a ride" and ends up staying for months. MDARD even checked shipping ports for them, which is never a sentence you want to hear about an insect.

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With established populations across southeast Michigan, 2026 is shaping up to less "isolated issue" and more "hey, why is that tree dying?" Expect spread along highways, shipping routes, and anywhere people move stuff... which is, you know, everywhere.

What's Actually at Risk in Michigan

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Spotted lanternflies aren't biting you, your dog, or buzzing around your ears like mosquitoes. But Terminix reports they will absolutely be coming for Michigan's:

Grapevines (this won't be good for the state's wine industry)
Black walnut, maple, willow, birch, and sumac trees

When they feed, they leave behind sugary "honeydew," which turns into a sooty mold. Translation: plants suffocate under a gross, black film.

The 2026 Reality Check

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There's no magic lanternfly spray yet. Control is a mix of monitoring, smashing (yep, kill 'em on sight), and hoping your neighbors are doing the same.

RELATED: Destroy This Invasive Animal On Sight If Seen In Michigan

If you're outside confirmed counties and spot one, report it using the Midwest Invasive Species Information Network's (MISIN) online reporting tool (click here) or the MISIN smartphone app. Because if 2025 was the spotted lanternfly's trailer... summer 2026 could be a blockbuster for this invasive species in Michigan.

Michigan Home Remedies to Get Rid of Stink Bugs

They are considered “an invasive pest” in Michigan, so don’t feel guilty wishing the brown marmorated stink bug an untimely demise. The stink, hence, the name. They do have some natural predators, including beetles, crickets, spiders, and birds, but arming yourself is the best way to prevent these smelly little insects from taking over your home and yard.

Gallery Credit: Scott Clow

11 Bugs You Can Survive On (Eat) If Lost in the Wilds of Michigan

In the event your GPS sends you wildly off course and you find yourself stranded deep in the heart of Michigan's vast forests, rest assured you can survive, nay, thrive on a diet of insects and other creatures found underfoot, underground, and under logs.

Gallery Credit: Scott Clow